Al Gore called for Single Payer - Where was the Media?
By Thom Hartmann A...
Al Gore - a former Senator, Vice President, and popular vote winner of the 2000 presidential election - said last week that it's time for single-payer healthcare.
So why did the media ignore him?
Now that Americans have seen what the alternatives are, single-payer healthcare is more popular than ever - and it just won its biggest endorsement yet in former Vice President Al Gore.
During an appearance in New York City this week to promote his new climate change documentary, former president Al Gore said he supports single payer healthcare:
"The private sector has not shown any ability to provide a good, accessible, affordable healthcare for all. I believe, for example, we ought to have a single-payer healthcare."
So, where was the media coverage of this?
If some former Republican vice president or president had come out in favor of Trumpcare, there would have been wall-to-wall coverage.
Comments
#2
Great that Gore mentioned Single Payer...but there are many who do not know what it means...namely... Government-Funded, Government-Administered National Health Care For All That is Far Less Expensive Overall than the Current System and Involves No Private Insurance Businesses and No Wasteful Advertising, Lobbying, Campaign Gifts or Plush Insurance Headquarters.
If Gore or even active Health Care For All people publicized that top for-profit insurers invest Billions of our supposed health care money in health-damaging industries such as cigarettes, oil, coal, pesticides, pharms that make even tobacco pesticides, military contractors, nukes, GMOs, junk food, etc...THAT Might dissuade anyone from supporting Obamacare OR Trumpcare or anything like it.
Info about where, and for how much, for-profit insurers invest is publicly available at the SEC's EDGAR Database. Maybe the Hartmann team has a techno expert who can download some of that...for broadcast airing.
Don't know (yet) where CEOs of "non-profit" insurers invest, or how to find out.
#3
I'm not an actuary, a healthcare administrator, or other "healthcare industry" worker, but I am an experienced primary care physician, now, thank God, gratefully retired after a 42 year practice. Fogive my ignorance and much thanks to Thom, but "single payer" means a single, centralized, efficient funding source, which may be in an otherwise private delivery system, as I understand Canada's system to be. This gives a tremendous savings in administrative costs. Correct me, if I'm wrong. A totally socialized uniform government run delivery system is another kettle of fish. We have neither, but, rather, the most expensive, ineffective (except for the wealthy) and, to my mind, corrupt feeding frenzy of a "healthcare industry". I loved helping my patients but hated the insurance companies, HMO's, government oversight, over-priced drugs, over-paid medical specialists, etc. that I had to work with. All medical services and personnel must be not-for-profit. It's a simple moral issue, which the Europeans get, but we do not. In my practice, we refused to collect copays and, thus, lost $1,000,000, but I sleep great and skweak by on my SS. Like E.F. Shumaker said: "small is beautiful". Thanks, Thom! By the way, Al Gore was and is still my President. Kick the ursurpers to the curb! Gregg Miklashek, MD (retired)
#4
The Reichstag Fire ...... Just as Thom; waiting. ...... I have never seen so many evil eyes in those of this cabal that is now our government. Most appear to be black, evil and blank.
#5
for at least half a century, the kool aid served around the republican punchbowl has prominantly featured the horrors of socialized medicine in canada and europe. the republicans of course are preying on america's fear of the unknown, but it seems to have worked. the media which rely heavily on insurance company ad revenues will say nothing about what the majority of america probably all ready sees as the positives about medicare for all, single payer, universal healthcare, etc.
#6
for at least half a century, the kool aid served around the republican punchbowl has prominantly featured the horrors of socialized medicine in canada and europe. the republicans of course are preying on america's fear of the unknown, but it seems to have worked. the media which rely heavily on insurance company ad revenues will say nothing about what the majority of america probably all ready sees as the positives about medicare for all, single payer, universal healthcare, etc.
#7
for at least half a century, the kool aid served around the republican punchbowl has prominantly featured the horrors of socialized medicine in canada and europe. the republicans of course are preying on america's fear of the unknown, but it seems to have worked. the media which rely heavily on insurance company ad revenues will say nothing about what the majority of america probably all ready sees as the positives about medicare for all, single payer, universal healthcare, etc.
#8
Corporation owned corrupt republicans controlled by the 1%er's wanting complete control again, would rather have everyone die than help!
#9
Why did it take Al Gore so long to endorse single payer medicaid type health care system? He could have done this when running against Dubya.
#10
Where was the corpse media? As most of us know, the Fascist weapon of mass misinformation will not broadcast anything related to single-payer, climate change, raise the cap, or interstate cross-check..... feel free to add to this list. BTW: Raise the cap has just as much potential as Single-payer to jolt Foxmerized voters back to a self beneficial political reality. Oddly enough most Dems won't mention either item.
Global freedom of the press rankings have the U.S. 43rd this year.
While we're on the subject of propaganda, I see NBC and others gave Crooked Donny a live broadcast opportunity to stand there and lie his raggedy ass off today. I have no idea why Obama didn't use this same bully pulpit to communicate social and economic truths to the public. Given the chance, Bernie sure as hell would have. This is by far my biggest criticism of Obama's eight years.
#11
Asides from the The Thom Hartmann Program, I have not heard about it anywhere.
It isn't only Al Gore who the MSM is failing, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter recently said, before teaching his Sunday School class, that he predicts that the United States will have a single-payer healthcare system and that while he was President he tried to get Medicare to cover everyone. Additionally, The Carter Center Prepares to Observe High-Stakes Kenyan Election. Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and former Prime Minister of Senegal will co-lead the Carter Center’s election observation mission in Kenya.
Maybe we can fix healthcare and elections in the United States by the next millennium.
#12
It's all part of the great game. Al Gore comes out for single payer health care and eclipses Sanders. That way a person who really supports that sort of thing is moved out of the spotlight. He is getting too much attention and would be a problem for the owners of the nation if he keept on growing until the next elections. They don't want another surprise like the one they got from Trump.
It's a game and we are losing. As long as things like "Citizens United" remain in place, nothing is going to change in favor of "the people".
Rights, justice and so on, are things that are won, not given. The only reason the democracy of the US lasted as long as it did was because the people who wrote the Constitution did their best to make it work. But people became lazy, they lost sight of the important things and now we are paying for it.
Heck, people out there still don't know what is important. Most people care only about their individual lives. They don't see the advantages of "the common good". They don't even know what that is and to blind their eyes, they use drugs. It's why the US is the bigest drug abuser in the world.
We are not one happy nation.
#13
We have the most expensive medical care system in the world, by a lot. And for that we get a low quality rated medical care system. And the Republican solution is to make it worse.
#14
People like AL Gore should pool their money and buy into mainstream media to counteract the misinformation that Right wing media is producing.
#15
People like AL Gore should pool their money and buy into mainstream media to counteract the misinformation that Right wing media is producing.
#16
@ #15
Al Gore sold his media empire to the Arabs for $100,000,000 just over three years ago.
Does that put him in the profit taking bastards leftie/socialists call the 1% er's?
#17
I tried to ring the show to ask why Thom, like so many other people, conflate "Medicare for all" and "single payer." Please can the show offer a discussion about these two, because I am not understanding how they can be the same thing. To get Medicare, you have to pay into the system for 40 quarters, or purchase it through premium Part A. Single payer is a system that eliminates the middleman: the government administers healthcare (mind you, it doesn't employ healthcare poviders). I think some clarity on this would be helpful.
#18
Concerning that meeting between Don Jr, other campaign members, and the Russians, the media is allowing them to create a diversion by making it about the election again (the "dirt" on the Clintons hot button), when in fact that meeting seemed to have been about the Russian abortion restrictions and a future Trump administration being willing to relax sanctions on Russia in exchange for Clinton/DNC e-mails. That is the real issue, isn't it?! ... subversion and bribery - much more important violations!
#19
Medicare is not the win all, all for one solution. I am on Medicare. $121 per month for a plan that covers 80% of a procedure. But the procedure costs 5 times more than it does in other countries. Do the math. Thus you either but supplemental insurance (for $200 to $300 per month) or go with an Advantage Plan. I opted for the Advantage Plan which after 2 years I have no complaints. My Advantage Plan is with a Non Profit Company.
#20
Legend it seems like presently you have a big government Advantage plan that is subsidized by Medicare. What a dis-advantage since you were complaining about Medicare. It may be that the procedure does cost more than it does in other countries. If Medicare were able to compete for prices it would be much less. I could be wrong but this is not the contracted price that a large insurer would pay, you are referring to the cash price. Medicare must be improved so it is allowed to provide completive prices for pharmacy and medical and enrollment at any age. Meanwhile, this allows for the all Dumbo's of the world to buy in to private plans that offer less healthcare, more coding, and huge multi--million dollar salaries for their hard working executives.
#21
Why Republican Plans to “Repeal Obamacare” are ILLEGAL in MANY WAYS!
If the Republicans in Congress sent a bill to Donald Trump who signed it to enact a law that required all Democrats in Congress to be rounded up and jailed without due process and denied food until they starved to death, would that be legal? Absolutely NOT! It would violate the due process requirements of the United States Constitution and be a form of MASS MURDER (among other downright evil and illegal features).
If any of the healthcare reform bills that the Republicans have produced so far were to be so enacted, it would LIKEWISE be illegal for many reasons and also have the dubious distinction that it would actually kill at least a thousand times MORE innocent US citizens than the illegal example described above!
Think about it!
For 7 years now, Republicans in Congress have attracted substantial donations from health insurance and pharmaceutical corporations by promising to “repeal Obamacare” based on a HUGE PACK OF LIES! Now that they are faced with the possibility of actually keeping such promises, they have collided with reality. The fact that they have been BLATANTLY LYING for years has been exposed and is quite obvious to anyone who has personally experienced or had relatives who have personally experienced “Obamacare”, Medicaid, and/or Medicare. Our Republicans in Congress will only make such matters WORSE for everyone (including themselves) if they “keep” such dishonest promises. If they end up implementing their conspiracy to commit mass murder of hundreds of thousands of innocent US citizens by denying them healthcare, many of them could end up serving the rest of their lives in jail! When they violate their Congressional Oath of Office like that, their legal protections as Congressional legislators would no longer apply in such a case.
#22
The democrats just missed their opportunity. The US Senate voted on a "single payer:" amendment Thursday night. Not one democrat voted for the amendment. That's right, NOT ONE. Could someone please explain.
K2
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/congress-healthcare-single-payer-debate/535143/
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Over 99% of the media is owned by the Rich and greedy. Did you EXPECT them to cover Al's story?? He's a DEMOCRAT, not a GOPher.